Phenomenon “dances in the opera” in Igor Stravinsky’s musical theater
Abstract
The article deals with the phenomenon of «dances in the opera» in relation to the music theater of Igor Stravinsky. From the standpoint of the specific weight of choreographic elements, four opera compositions belonging to the composer’s different creative periods are analyzed — The Nightingale (1908–1914), Mavra (1921–1922), Oedipus Rex (1926–1927), The Rake’s Progress (1947–1951) — as well as a musical play The Flood (1961–1962), written for the CBS television company, but during the life of Stravinsky also staged in an opera version (Hamburg, 1963). As a result, the author comes to the conclusion about the important role of dance impulses for the composer, they often define the key areas in the multi-level dramaturgy of the analyzed works. Thus, the experience gained by the young musician at the Petersburg performances of Marius Petipa receives a new implementation in the mature modernist theater of Stravinsky.
Keywords
Igor Stravinsky,
ballet,
opera The Nightingale,
musical play The Flood,
Mariinsky Theater,
Marius Petipa
Supporting agencies: The article is written on the basis of the paper «Igor Stravinsky and dance in opera: from The Nightingale to The Flood» delivered by the author at the international conference «Ballet in Musical Theater: History and Present Time» (November 21–25, 2022, Gnesin Russian Academy of Music). I thank the Doctor of Art Studies, Professor Irina Petrovna Susidko for personal invitation to participate in the conference.
About the Author
N. A. Braginskaya
Saint Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Cand. Sci. (Art), Ass. Prof., Head of the Western Music History Dept.
2, Glinki St., St. Petersburg, 190068
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Review
For citations:
Braginskaya N.A. Phenomenon “dances in the opera” in Igor Stravinsky’s musical theater. Bulletin of Vaganova Ballet Academy. 2023;(1):41-51. (In Russ.)
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